


A surprise of the surprising variety.

by orphan_account



Category: Cabin Pressure, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Sorting (Harry Potter), Gen, Sorting Ceremony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 19:24:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2240589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Douglas is in for a shock.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A surprise of the surprising variety.

No-one could've been more surprised than Douglas.  
He nearly put the hat back on, told it to try again, it had made a mistake!  
Him? Douglas Richardson? That house?  
Never.  
No Richardson had ever been one of these before. Most of them were Slytherins for a start, a couple scattered across the other two, but not once had the hat told them this.  
Maybe it was some kind of joke. Someone impersonating it to fool him. But no-one was laughing. They were anxiously jostling him, or hurrying him impatiently, or wondering what the hold up was.  
Shakily, he staggered across to his table.  
Determined, shrewd, use any means... that was him! The perfect description of him!  
Or if not, at least curious and knowledge-seeking. He was clever all right. Mind you, that jolly fellow with the teddy bear hadn't looked too bright, and even he got Ravenclaw.  
Qualities you value you most, he supposed, not ones you actually possess.  
A flash of orange caught his gaze as it sat down next to all his Slytherin friends. Well. Ex-friends. He knew they wouldn't talk any more. Was that a Weasley? But no, too curly.  
He barely heard the next call.  
"Gryffindor." murmured the hat weakly. It seemed... no, it couldn't be. The sorting hat was never intimidated.  
Mind you, looking at the girl it had just sorted striding towards her new classmates, it was easy to see why it had made the exception.  
His dad was going to kill him.  
Oh, God, his dad was going to kill him.  
He hated this.  
He noticed the girl shoot a glance at his lot. He got the distinct impression they were her second choice.  
He supposed he would grow to like them, and he did. He learned that the hat was right. It had seen further into his psyche than even he had. He learned that there was more to him than met the eye. Even his own eye.  
And he learned to be proud of his house, and understand it, though he never forgot the feeling of despair and bewilderment he got, when he first heard the words,  
"Welcome to Hufflepuff house."

**Author's Note:**

> Don't judge me, it works, it really does, please!


End file.
